Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the Subsidy Control Bill and its implications for Northern Ireland under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

Lord Callanan: The UK Government has been engaging regularly with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Subsidy Control Bill, at official and ministerial level. BEIS officials have met with Northern Ireland Executive officials 23 times since September 2020. BEIS Ministers have also met with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers 6 times since September 2020. The primary purpose of these discussions has been to discuss the detail of the Subsidy Control Bill, and to invite feedback from Northern Ireland Executive Ministers and officials. We are committed to continuing our close engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive, including as the Bill passes through Parliament.

Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure ethnicity pay gap reporting is mandatory for all large employers by 2023.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain and ensuring that equality and opportunity is available for all. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister established the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities which published its independent report on March 31st. We welcome the opportunity to consider the Commission’s findings, and are looking at them in light of the work that has already taken place within government, including the consultation on ethnicity pay reporting. We will be publishing our response to the Commission’s report later this autumn.

Attorney General

Bribery: Overseas Companies

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the Serious Fraud Office about reports of British companies engaging in bribery overseas.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The SFO is an independent law enforcement agency, superintended by the Attorney General’s Office. As set out in the Framework Agreement between the two organisations there are regular meetings between the Law Officers and the Director of the SFO to discuss both the SFO performance at an organisational level and to provide an oversight of high-profile casework.

Robert Mugabe: British American Tobacco

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of allegations in the BBC’s Panorama programme on 13 September that British American Tobacco paid a bribe to the then President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: Following a three-year investigation into British American Tobacco, in January 2021 the SFO determined that this case did not meet the evidential tests as defined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. As with all cases that fail this first limb of the Code, it was therefore not in the public interest to continue with the investigation. The SFO is aware of the allegations made in the BBC’s Panorama programme in September 2021. The SFO continues to assist its international law enforcement partners with ongoing investigations related to this matter, and will assess any new material on its merits, as with any allegation of serious fraud, bribery or corruption. The SFO does not disclose the actions it takes to assess allegations.

Department for Education

History: Curriculum

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Black history is a mandatory part of the curriculum in all schools, including those which are not required to teach the National Curriculum.

Baroness Barran: The department is committed to an inclusive education system which recognises and embraces diversity. We support all pupils and students in tackling racism and to have the knowledge and tools to do so.The government believes that all children and young people should acquire a firm grasp of history, including how different events and periods relate to each other. That is why it is compulsory for maintained schools from key stages 1 to 3, and why academies are expected to teach a curriculum which is as broad and ambitious as the national curriculum. This expectation is set out in the Ofsted school inspection handbook, as part of their education inspection framework introduced in September 2019.The national curriculum is a framework setting out the content of what the department expects schools to cover in each subject. The curriculum does not set out how curriculum subjects, or topics within the subjects, should be taught. The department believes teachers should be able to use their own knowledge and expertise to determine how they teach their pupils, and to make choices about what they teach.As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, pupils should be taught about different societies, and how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain, and this can include the voices and experience of Black people. The flexibility within the history curriculum means that there is the opportunity for teachers to teach about Black history across the spectrum of themes and eras set out in the curriculum. For example, at key stage 1, schools can teach about the lives of key Black historical figures such as Mary Seacole, Rosa Parks, or others. At key stage 3, schools can cover the development and end of the British Empire and Britain’s transatlantic slave trade, its effects and eventual abolition. The teaching of Black history need not be limited to these examples. There is scope to include Black history and experience in other national curriculum subjects such as English and citizenship, and in the non-statutory subject personal, social, health and economics (PSHE) education.It is positive that teachers and schools are responding directly to the renewed attention on history teaching to ensure knowledge-based subject teaching. More history teachers reflected commitments in the most recent survey of history teachers by the Historical Association to develop more content in their teaching on Black and diverse histories. This change will provide pupils with more breadth and depth in their understanding of history.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Wolfson of Tredegar on 21 July (HL1789), what steps they plan to take to prevent pregnancy among biologically female transgender prisoners in the male prison estate.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Wolfson of Tredegar on 21 July (HL1789), whether biologically female transgender prisoners in the male prison estate have access to contraceptive devices.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Wolfson of Tredegar on 21 July (HL1789), how many pregnancies have been reported in the male prison estate in each of the last five years; and whether they will provide a breakdown of the outcomes of any such pregnancies.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Sex between prisoners is not permitted. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service ensure the safety of all prisoners by managing prisoners on a case-by-case basis and consider any relevant risks (including risks to, or from, the prisoner, as well as the risk of self-harm). The NHS England and NHS Improvement constitution mandates that all healthcare delivered within prisons must be equivalent to healthcare delivered in the community and the fact that a patient is a prisoner should not impair their access to any healthcare they require. All secure and detained settings therefore ensure that prisoners have access to appropriate contraceptives, which are prescribed or made available as necessary. This applies to both the men’s and women’s estate and includes all prisoners . There have been no recorded incidents of prisoners becoming pregnant in the male prison estate.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Africa: Coronavirus

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many doses of all makes of COVID-19 vaccines they have donated to countries in Africa; and how many doses each country has received.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is one of the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), that has delivered more than 57 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to 42 African AMC countries to date. In addition to the £548m donation to COVAX, the UK has donated 5,624,440 doses to countries in Africa. Of this, 5,214,400 doses were donated through COVAX and 410,040 doses through bilateral donations. All the UK donated vaccines were produced by AstraZeneca.African countries have received 5,138,680 doses (91%) of UK donated COVID-19 vaccines while 485,760 (9%) doses are yet to be delivered. Recipient countries are: Angola (128,640), Democratic Republic of Congo (51,840), Egypt (299,680), Ethiopia (1,520,640), Ghana (249,600), Kenya (817,080), Malawi (119,040), Niger (105,600), Nigeria (1,287,680), Senegal (140,160), Uganda (299,520) and Zambia (119,200).

Vatican: Foreign Relations

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of relations between the UK and the Holy See.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's relationship with the Holy See remains strong. The UK continues to work with the Holy See on a range of shared challenges, and we are proud of the global nature of our partnership. These priorities include addressing the scourge of modern slavery, seeking peaceful solutions to long running conflicts, and, particularly in view of the upcoming COP26 Conference in Glasgow, driving international collaboration to tackle the growing threat of climate change. On this issue, the UK is proud to be co-hosting the "Faith and Science: Toward COP26" event, alongside the Holy See and Italy, on 4 October - bringing together key religious figures from across the globe to build momentum towards November's summit. Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Holy See discussed how the UK and the Holy See can further deepen our collaboration on these issues with His Holiness the Pope when he presented his credentials on 4 September and Minister Morton met key Holy See Ministers during her visit on 16 September.

Cuba: Politics and Government

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of pro-democracy movements in Cuba.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are clear that all Cubans should have the right to protest peacefully and that detention must not be used as a tool to restrict freedom of expression, assembly or religion. The UK was one of the first countries on 12 July to call for the Cuban people to be allowed to express their views freely and peacefully. We have raised our concerns directly with the Cuban Government, both in London and Havana, and called for the authorities to release information on detained citizens, including their whereabouts.

Afghanistan: Universities

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number ofUK-affiliated academics and researchers in Afghanistan who (1) are in hiding, or (2) have applications to leave; and what steps they are taking to expedite and assist with their departure.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I addressed the UN Human Rights Council on 24 August to underscore the UK's commitment to protecting the human rights of all Afghan people. The UK led work on the recent UN Security Council resolution, demonstrating our commitment to holding the Taliban to account on human rights. The UK is urgently developing a new settlement scheme for 20,000 Afghans most at risk who will be eligible to apply. We are prioritising vulnerable groups in the UK's response.

Afghanistan: Asylum

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy scheme helps those funded by the UK Government to work with UK universities on Overseas Development Assistance programmes focused on gender and women's rights.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Afghan relocations and assistance policy was set up to facilitate the resettlement of Afghan nationals who worked with the UK Government in Afghanistan. A number of gender and women's rights activists were evacuated as special cases under Operation Pitting, and those still in Afghanistan may be eligible for resettlement under the Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Vaccination

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the vaccine rollout within British armed forces and security personnel.

Baroness Goldie: As at 10 September 2021, 87% of UK Armed Forces personnel had received at least one COVID vaccination and 67% were fully vaccinated. Given the age profile of our personnel, these rates are slightly ahead of comparable statistics for the general population. Defence continues to work to improve COVID vaccine uptake for all eligible personnel.

Ajax Vehicles: Ammunition

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the cost of (1) the Challenger Tank’s 120mm high-explosive squash head (HESH) round complete with charge, and (2) a 120mm fin-stabilised discarding sabot round complete with charge, compare with the cost of one round of the 40mm cannon fitted to the Ajax reconnaissance vehicle in percentage terms.

Baroness Goldie: The Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank and Ajax vehicle are designed for different purposes and their armament and ammunition reflect this. We do not comment on the cost of the 40mm ammunition as this is commercially sensitive.

Afghanistan: Armed Forces

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to provide mental health support to British armed forces personnel upon their return from duty in Afghanistan.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave on 2 September 2021 to Question HL2389 to the noble Lord, Lord Taylor of Warwick.Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations (docx, 56.0KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in England received the Carer's Allowance in (1) April 2019, and (2) April 2021.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: DWP statistics on the number of Carer’s Allowance claims in payment are publicly available online via StatXplore. These statistics are released on a quarterly basis, for the following months: February, May, August and November. The most recent available statistics are for February 2021. The figures requested are therefore not available for April 2021. The figure from the most recent release of these statistics is included in the response instead. For an annual comparison, the figure for February 2019 is also included in this response. The number of people in England who received Carer’s Allowance in February 2019 was 736,624. The number of people in England who received Carer’s Allowance in February 2021 was 794,816.

Universal Credit

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of ending the £20 uplift to Universal Credit.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: No assessment has been made. The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22. There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work. Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they define the term “re-wilding” when used in environmental policy.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The concept of ‘rewilding’ is a relatively new and evolving concept and as such, it is currently defined and approached in different ways. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is developing a conceptual and methodological framework for rewilding with the goal of restoring functional native ecosystems, which - where possible - are self-sustaining. We will continue to develop our definition and approach to rewilding working with the IUCN and other expert stakeholders.

Fisheries: Northern Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with representatives of the Northern Irish fishing industry about the effect of (1) the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and (2) the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, on the fishing industry.

Lord Benyon: (1) Since 1 January 2021 the UK Government has met and engaged in written correspondence with representatives of the Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers Organisation and the Northern Ireland (NI) Fish Producers Organisation on the effect of the Protocol. Minister Victoria Prentis has also met with NI Members of Parliament, Minister Walker and Minister Poots to discuss NI fishers and industry. Officials in both Defra and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in NI continue to collaborate and to engage with NI fishers on operationalising the Protocol. (2) Representatives from all regions of the UK industry were briefed on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement earlier this year.

Fishing Gear: Waste

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of discarded fishing gear from foreign fishing fleets around the UK coastline.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK is committed to protecting the marine environment. However, due to the transboundary nature of marine litter from discarded fishing gear and the challenges around identifying the provenance of abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear, we have not made an estimate of the amount of discarded fishing gear from foreign fishing fleets around the UK coastline. Under the Merchant Shipping Regulations on the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships (2020), the discharge of all garbage into the sea is prohibited with very limited exceptions. In all cases the discharge of plastic is prohibited. These regulations bring the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships (MARPOL Annex V) into UK law. The Regulations require fishing vessels to record the discharge or loss of fishing gear in the Garbage Record Book or ship’s logbook and to report the accidental loss or discharge of fishing gear which poses a significant threat to the marine environment or navigation. Under the Merchant Shipping Regulations it is an offence to fail to report the discharge of fishing gear which poses a significant threat to the marine environment or navigation to (a) the ship’s flag State and (b) any coastal state who has jurisdiction over the waters where the loss or discharge occurs. The UK collects data on the quantity and type of marine litter in our waters including on seafloor litter, floating litter and beach litter, following methodologies agreed through the OSPAR Convention’s monitoring and assessment programmes. Data is available through the Marine Online Assessment Tool: https://moat.cefas.co.uk/ Recognising the scale, urgency and transboundary nature of the global action needed to tackle marine plastic litter and microplastics, the UK this year has driven the G7 to commit to step up international action to tackle ghost gear, including an agreement to support organisations such as the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and agreement to carefully consider the recommendations of the UK commissioned OECD report ‘Towards G7 Action to Combat Ghost Fishing gear’. The communique and OECD Ghost Gear report can be found here: G7 Climate and Environment Ministers' meeting, May 2021: communiqué - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) G7 Climate and Environment Ministers' meeting (pdf, 628.7KB)

Flood Control: Somerset

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the flood prevention measures in place on the Somerset Levels in advance of winter 2021–22.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Agency (EA) is acutely conscious of the impacts that flooding has on local communities in the Somerset Levels and Moors and is spending around £3 million each year on flood risk management asset operation and maintenance in the Levels and Moors. This financial year, the EA is forecasted to spend £1.3 million on repairing 20 assets in the area and will continue to collaborate with partners through the Somerset Prepared initiative to train community flood wardens and improve local resilience to flooding. The EA has a sizeable fleet of plant and equipment at the centrally located Bradney Depot, including Ultra High Volume Pumps, sandbags, flood barriers, excavators, and other specialist plant and equipment. It also operates a ‘trigger point’ early warning system on a number of the moors, where incident response activity kicks in well before actual risk to property. This allows the use of permanent pumping stations to be maximised and gives the option of bringing in extra temporary pumping capacity if required, especially at key locations like Currymoor Flood Storage Reservoir. In addition, construction works are underway to enhance the capacity of the River Sowy/Kings Sedgemoor Drain. These works are being delivered by the EA but funded by the Somerset Rivers Authority and will help reduce the flood risk to a number of communities. This work will be completed before winter.

Incinerators

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reduce toxic landfill by encouraging the use of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) incineration of waste.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government's Resources and Waste Strategy, published in 2018, sets out how we will minimise the damage caused to our natural environment by reducing and managing waste safely and carefully. A key principle is to prevent waste in the first place, in keeping with the waste hierarchy, which ranks options for waste management according to their environmental impact. Where waste does occur, we need to manage it in the most efficient way possible. After waste prevention, priority goes to reuse, recycling, and then recovery. Disposal, for example in landfill, is generally regarded as the worst option. We are therefore encouraging increased use of heat through Combined Heat and Power (CHP) from EfW as it almost doubles the fuel efficiency and can play a really valuable role in our transition to decarbonising the heating of homes and buildings. There is financial support from government for EfW plants and heat networks developers to do this in the form of the existing Heat Networks Investment Project and the upcoming Green Heat Network Fund. The Heat Network Investment Project is already funding CHP based EfW projects in Leeds, London and Cardiff that will supply low carbon heat to local homes and businesses.

Home Office

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce details of theAfghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme; and whether there will be any special provisions for women.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has worked at pace to develop and launch the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), which will provide a safe and legal route for up to 20,000 Afghans in the region over the coming years, with 5,000 in the first year –one of the most generous schemes in British history.On Monday 13 September the Government published a policy statement which set out further details on the policy and operation of the ACRS, and the package of integration support that will be offered to those arriving through the Scheme.This statement confirmed that the ACRS will provide those put at risk by recent events in Afghanistan with a route to safety. This will include prioritising vulnerable people such women and girls, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+).Further details on the scheme are published on the ACRS webpage: Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Organised Crime: Republic of Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of cross-border cooperation in stopping (1) criminal gangs, and (2) people smugglers, entering the UK from the Republic of Ireland.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: There is a high level of cooperation on border security between both the UK and Irish Governments to ensure we are taking all the necessary measures to protect and secure the Common Travel Area, this includes people travelling from Ireland to the UK.The Home Office, Ireland’s Garda National Immigration Bureau and Border Management Unit, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other police forces work together to tackle abuse of the CTA by conducting intelligence-led checks and enforcement operations.We continue to take a whole route approach in pursuing the crime groups who facilitate people smuggling to the UK and who exploit vulnerable migrants, knowingly putting people in life-threatening situations.

Police: Mental Health

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of frontline police officers.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Our police have continued to dedicate themselves to protecting the public during the pandemic. We recognise that this has been a hugely challenging time for them and looking after their mental health and overall wellbeing is a priority for this Government as we deliver the aims of the Police Covenant.In addition to my previous answer to your question of 24 March, the National Police Wellbeing Service, funded by the Home Office, undertook the annual national police wellbeing survey for 2020-21 with Durham University. The survey was conducted during the pandemic and adapted to include a question set to give an indication of the impact on officers and staff. Over 22,000 responses were received from police officers and staff. The main findings, published on 6 July, show that whilst some factors influencing overall wellbeing have improved, others remain a concern.The results of the survey are enabling the wellbeing service to prioritise work at a national level, for example, continuing the rollout of the Emergency Services Trauma Intervention Programme. The findings of this survey are also included in the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Covid-19 workforce recovery plan.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Afghan refugees who have recently arrived in the UK will be given mental health support.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The safety and wellbeing of Afghan refugees is of the utmost importance and we will work closely with accommodation providers and other partners to prioritise their safety and wellbeing. We are providing £3 million to ensure Afghan refugees receive the healthcare they need. This includes access to prescriptions, wound care and dressings, maternity care, mental health support, and screening for infectious diseases. We will also offer the protection of a COVID-19 vaccination as they settle and rebuild.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to work with (1) charities, and (2) local communities, to support refugees from Afghanistan; andwhat steps they are taking to (a) encourage, and (b) coordinate, charitable donations in support of this cause.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Under Operation Warm Welcome, we are taking a cross-government approach to ensuring Afghans arriving in the UK are able to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education and integrate with their local communities.The challenge of integrating such a large number of people at pace and supporting them to rebuild their lives in safety cannot be met by central and local government alone. We will be actively working with the private, voluntary and community sectors to harness a whole of society effort to address this challenge.As part of this, we are creating a portal where people, organisations and businesses can register offers of support. This could include volunteering, offers of employment or to provide professional skills pro bono, including helping those arriving deal with trauma, or offering donations of mobile phones, mobile credit or data, laptops, access to training, clothes and toys. This will complement the Afghanistan housing portal which has been set up to collect offers of additional housing support.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to help recently arrived Afghan refugees culturally acclimatise and assimilate into the British population.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: All those brought to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will have the right to work, access to education and healthcare and be able to apply for public funds. They will also receive comprehensive integration support as they start their new lives in the UK. The support provided for them will be similar to the commitments in the Syrian Resettlement Programme, with a complete package covering health, education and English Language support costs, and including cultural orientation to the UK.We will be actively working with the private, voluntary and community sectors to harness a whole-of-society effort to address this challenge.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Pensions

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value to the UK taxpayer of defined benefit pension payments to retiring civil servants.

Lord True: The Cabinet Office submits five year cash forecasts to the Office for Budget Responsibility in order for them to monitor the fiscal implications of the scheme, and the Government considers these long-term projections of expenditure, as published in their Fiscal Sustainability Reports, including expected pension cash flows as a percentage of GDP.

Public Appointments Commissioner

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the process for appointing the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Lord True: The role was advertised on the Government’s Public Appointments website and also through a number of other channels and networks. Applications were assessed by a panel, which included an independent member, against the advertised criteria. Shortlisted candidates were interviewed and the panel recommended to ministers which candidates they found appointable. Subject to consideration by Ministers of the select committee’s report, the formal appointment will be made by Order in Council.

Drugs: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that ending the grace period for border checks and controls between Great Britain and Northern Ireland would have on the supply of medicines to Northern Ireland.

Lord Frost: There would be clear risks to medicine supplies to patients in the absence of sustainable, long-term arrangements that take proper account of the nature of supplies of medicines as an inherent part of the delivery of national health services, such as those proposed by the Government in its Command Paper of 21 July.

Treasury

Pensions: Public Sector

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to communicate to the taxpayer the economic costs of public sector pensions.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Public service pensions are a crucial part of the total remuneration package for public sector workers, this includes the current OBR estimate of a £1.9 bn Exchequer top-up payment for 2020-21 and £1.89 tn in liabilities. The Government pays close attention to the cost of public service pensions to the taxpayer, forecasts of which are regularly published by the OBR on a cashflow basis in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook[1] and Fiscal Sustainability Report[2]. Information on long-term public service pension liabilities can be found in the Whole of Government Accounts[3]. [1] https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2021/[2] https://obr.uk/fsr/fiscal-sustainability-report-july-2018/[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/whole-of-government-accounts-2018-2019

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing and Screening

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the potential revenue of introducing a windfall tax on companies supplying (1) PPE, and (2) private COVID-19 tests.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: It is right that, as the economy rebounds, those best able to contribute share in the task of restoring the public finances to a sustainable footing. That is why, at Budget, the Chancellor announced an increase in the Corporation Tax (CT) rate from 19 per cent to 25 per cent from 2023 onwards. This will, by definition, only apply to companies that are making profits, and profitable businesses have continued to pay CT throughout the pandemic.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the furlough scheme for industries affected by COVID-19.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was designed as a temporary, economy-wide measure to support businesses while widespread restrictions were in place. Closing the scheme at the end of September strikes the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns. As set out in the Plan for Jobs Progress Update published on 13 September 2021, this approach has worked. The OBR have estimated that without the short-term fiscal easing announced in the Budget, and in particular the CJRS extension, unemployment would have otherwise been around 300,000 higher in the fourth quarter of this year than the 2.2 million in the central forecast. The Government has shown throughout the pandemic that it is prepared to adapt support if the path of the virus changes. We continue to engage closely with sectors across the economy to understand their recovery horizons as the vaccine is rolled out and restrictions ease.

Private Finance Initiative

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to a Freedom of Information request by Schools Week (FOI2021/11434), when they expect the Infrastructure Projects Authority to publish the full data collection of Private Finance Initiative Projects for (1) 2019, and (2) 2020.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The 2019 data will be published this Autumn. A data collection was not undertaken in 2020. The 2021 data collection will commence shortly and be published in early 2022.

Credit: Public Consultation

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to begin the consultation on the regulation of buy-now-pay-later services, announced following the Woolard Review – A review of change and innovation in the unsecured credit market, published on 2 February.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: On 2 February, the Government announced its intention to regulate Buy-Now-Pay-Later products. On 17 March, the Government tabled an amendment to the Financial Services Bill (now Act) to allow the Government to bring Buy-Now-Pay-Later products into the scope of FCA regulation in a proportionate way. The Government is now working to publish a consultation document soon.

Pensions: British Steel

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Financial Conduct Authority's finding on 10 August that a pensions adviser was “seriously incompetent” in his work providing advice to 183 members of the British Steel Pension Scheme, what plans they have to set up an industry-wide redress scheme for steelworkers given poor pension transfer advice.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: This is an operational matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from Government.The question has been passed on to the FCA who will reply directly to the Noble Lord by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.